Talking Low
by JenRiley16
Summary: She just thought he was shy, not that he could barely speak. One-shot, probably.


"He's going to smell it, you know," she whispered, watching her brother take another drag. "You're going to get in trouble again."

Wallace scoffed, staring at the ground. "Who cares? I'm going to get in trouble anyway. At least it'll be over something I choose."

Swallowing thickly, Elaine's eyes rolled to the sky. "We... We could leave."

He shook his head, squatting against the gate. "There'd be no point," he said. "We'd have no money and I'll be damned if you start as a gigolo too."

Her brother did all he could, she knew. He was saving. He wanted to leave as much as she did—

more, probably. But they could make twice as much if she saw clients as well. When she told him so, he screamed that he'd never let that happen, not to her, and then got swatted by their father for being loud. Elaine didn't bring it up after that.

"What do you think of our new tail?" Wallace asked after a moment. They shared a glance at the dark-haired boy that had been following them for the last couple days.

Elaine shrugged, thinking about the blankness of his eyes. "He hasn't spoken at all."

"I know," Wallace said. "It pisses me off." He crushed his cigarette and dropped it on the ground. Elaine toed it with her too-expensive shoes. "Hey, so, you got a name?" he asked the boy, but he didn't turn, or even make a move that he had heard Wallace. "Dude. What are you, deaf?"

Knowing her brother was getting agitated, Elaine stepped around him and tugged on their bodyguard's sleeve. "Hey," she said softly, and he turned to her with wide eyes. "Why won't you talk to us?" She had never heard his voice before, but she had seen those bruises, and they were not friendly.

"As your masters," Wallace started angrily, coming up behind Elaine, "we order to to talk to us."

"Please," Elaine added, nudging her brother. She stared at the boy in front of them, and he moaned in his throat.

"I—" Elaine froze. His speech was so garbled she could hardly understand it. "I—can't...hear." He pointed at an ear and Elaine's arms swung loosely at her sides, mirroring Wallace's reaction.

Wallace's lips parted, eyes as big as saucers. "Huh?" Then, half a second later, he threw his ethics book at the boy and ran. "Elaine!" he called over his shoulder. "Come on!"

Elaine hadn't moved. She was goggling the boy until well after Wallace had disappeared into the mansion. He bent down to pick up her brother's textbook and rubbed a hand over where he'd been hit with it. Elaine cleared her throat. "Are you..." She waited until he straightened and was looking at her. "Are—you—okay?" She felt like a fool, but she was trying to enunciate clearly, something she'd always had trouble with.

The boy nodded, handing her the book. "Here," he said, and tears pricked at Elaine's eyes at the sound of his voice. He sounded like he'd barely spoken in his life.

"Uh... If you want to read it, you can." Her cheeks flushed immediately after she offered. Who would want to read a book on ethics.

He shook his head. "I - can't."

"You can't read?"

He shook his head again.

Elaine sagged, taking the book from him. "Oh. Um... I'm sorry about my brother. He... He's just angry that our father...doesn't..." Realizing she didn't know where she going with that, she trailed off, and the boy didn't say anything. "Uh... What's your name?"

"Nich—o—las," he said, and Elaine nodded fast.

"I'm Elaine."

"E—raine."

Her jaw tightened and she smiled tightly, willing her tears to go away. She had heard his voice, and she had seen those bruises, and they were definitely not friendly. "How about we go return that book to my brother? I'm sure he'll want to apologize."

He tapped her arm; she turned. "Look—at— me...when—you—talk. And—go—slower."

Elaine flushed again. "Right. Right. Sorry."

* * *

note1. i used dashes and ellipses when nick was speaking because that's the only way i could think to interpret it. sorry if it's bothersome to read.

note2. these flashback scenes just really touched my heart.


End file.
